2020 was an eventful year for the Land Restoration Training Programme. On the first day of January, we transitioned from the UNU to join the GRÓ International Centre for Capacity Development, Sustainable use of Natural Resources and Societal Change, a new UNESCO category 2 centre located in Iceland. In the beginning of May, we welcomed a new Director to the Programme. The year 2020 turned out to be an extraordinary time for LRT, like for everyone else with the emergence of COVID-19, and the pandemic continued to impact all our activities from mid-March and throughout the year.

Today a new host institution agreement was signed between the GRÓ Centre for Capacity Development under the auspices of UNESCO and the Agricultural University of Iceland. On this occasion the Chairman of the GRÓ Governing Board, Mr. Jón Karl Ólafsson and the GRÓ Centre Director General, Ms. Bryndís Kjartansdóttir, were welcomed at the premises of GRÓ LRT where the agreement was signed by Mr. Jón Karl Ólafsson and Dr. Ragnheiður I. Þórarinsdóttir, the Rector of the Agricultural University of Iceland.

Today we celebrate the International day for Biological Diversity by participating in UNESCO expert panel on the theme of the day, “Our solutions are in nature”. GRÓ LRT Deputy Director is one of the speakers in the panel, addressing the topic “What are the possible ways/tools to regenerate ecosystems and restore our links to the living?” This UNESCO initiative gives us opportunity to come together in this period of great uncertainty around common values, to share the resources on which we can rely upon to be collectively resilient and to accelerate a transformation towards a more sustainable and fair world.

Dr Sjöfn Vilhelmsdóttir is the new Director of the GRÓ Land Restoration Training Programme as from 1 May 2020.